Lots of Pets = Dirty Home? (vent warning)

I swear, shows like Hoarders (which I am a fan of) are causing people to look down on me.

I own: 4 dogs (two shepherd mixes and two chihuahua mixes), 2 cats (Persian and Sphynx), a hedgehog, a rabbit, 3 pet rats, a dozen or so tropical fish, 3 bearded dragons, 5 corn snakes, and 17 ball pythons. Not to mention about 200 rats and mice which are raised as feeders. We own two businesses, selling live feeder mice/rats to other snake owners as well as breeding ball pythons (we are expecting 5-8 clutches of eggs in the next few weeks and sooo excited!!) So you are talking a LOT more snakes coming soon.

For years people ask me, how I have time for it all. My easy answer, "We make time.". All the animals eat good to high quality foods, animals that require regular grooming (weekly or monthly) get it (I'm a dog groomer), cage/tank/bin cleaning happens 2 times a week. Between my DH, DD, and I we kick total butt keeping everyone healthy, happy and clean. So much so the local Humane Society took notice and have now asked us to care for their exotics that people dump on them. We have a ball python from them that was literally eaten alive by a rat, he's mostly blind and his face and body are littered with bite marks, chunks missing, and scabs. We've had him for almost a month and he is making a wonderful recovery. Weekly force feeding and daily injections of antibiotics.

What I'm trying to say here is...we are GOOD pet owners! Not being egotistical, just saying what I know because of how well our pets are doing. For instance, had a rat that lived over 4 years. Not an easy task, most rats last 1-2 years.

And now that I am pregnant again, I am having people ask me, "Are you getting rid of some of the animals?". And "You can't keep the snakes with a baby.". And the best one was from a woman who told me my house had to be too unsanitary with all my pets.

We plan to keep ALL the pets. Unless one of the pets suddenly became vicious towards the baby, none of them are leaving. Now we did convert the shed to house all the rats and mice. And we moved all the pythons into the garage. Ball pythons are one of the nicest snakes out there, but a ball python COULD kill an infant. Can't eat an infant, even a full grown one, but it could possible kill one. We've never lost a snake but least if one is lost, its in the garage, which we secured any access points for it to escape the garage or enter the home should an escape happen. We are covering all the bases to keep the baby safe. Dogs and cats are already trained not to go into the nursery. And I never leave my dogs alone with young children. All my dogs and cats have been around infants, babies and toddlers and either stay away or sit quietly with them. Even with them crawling over the dogs.

I am just so sick of people assuming its impossible to have all these pets and children. I am sick of people who have NEVER been to my home, telling me I should keep it clean or how to clean it or to get rid of my pets to keep it clean. People joke to me and I joke back about being a hoarder, but some people see those shows and think ALL multi-pet homes are trashed and full of feces. I've had animal control here and Fish and Game for inspections (routine for my exotic animal licensing) and both organizations complimented me on how amazing we are doing. The animal control officer walked into the rat shed, took a deep breath and said to me very shocked, "I don't smell rats." This is 2 days AFTER they got cleaned. She also loved the fact my feeder rats and mice have wheels, toys, and fresh fruits and veggie treats. I treat the feeders as pets, and they could easily be sold and kept as pets due to all of them being tame (except the African Soft Furred, which is a wild variety of rat and are totally vicious lol). She also said she had two other inspections of local feeder breeders and they were totally disgusting, and she would hand out my business cards to reptile owners she knows. Fish and Game said I was the cleanest, most organized breeder in the county. And yet I have people who know NOTHING about what we do, who find out what we have and freak out. :( Its really driving me nuts.

I swear, shows like Hoarders (which I am a fan of) are causing people to look down on me.

I own: 4 dogs (two shepherd mixes and two chihuahua mixes), 2 cats (Persian and Sphynx), a hedgehog, a rabbit, 3 pet rats, a dozen or so tropical fish, 3 bearded dragons, 5 corn snakes, and 17 ball pythons. Not to mention about 200 rats and mice which are raised as feeders. We own two businesses, selling live feeder mice/rats to other snake owners as well as breeding ball pythons (we are expecting 5-8 clutches of eggs in the next few weeks and sooo excited!!) So you are talking a LOT more snakes coming soon.

For years people ask me, how I have time for it all. My easy answer, "We make time.". All the animals eat good to high quality foods, animals that require regular grooming (weekly or monthly) get it (I'm a dog groomer), cage/tank/bin cleaning happens 2 times a week. Between my DH, DD, and I we kick total butt keeping everyone healthy, happy and clean. So much so the local Humane Society took notice and have now asked us to care for their exotics that people dump on them. We have a ball python from them that was literally eaten alive by a rat, he's mostly blind and his face and body are littered with bite marks, chunks missing, and scabs. We've had him for almost a month and he is making a wonderful recovery. Weekly force feeding and daily injections of antibiotics.

What I'm trying to say here is...we are GOOD pet owners! Not being egotistical, just saying what I know because of how well our pets are doing. For instance, had a rat that lived over 4 years. Not an easy task, most rats last 1-2 years.

And now that I am pregnant again, I am having people ask me, "Are you getting rid of some of the animals?". And "You can't keep the snakes with a baby.". And the best one was from a woman who told me my house had to be too unsanitary with all my pets.

We plan to keep ALL the pets. Unless one of the pets suddenly became vicious towards the baby, none of them are leaving. Now we did convert the shed to house all the rats and mice. And we moved all the pythons into the garage. Ball pythons are one of the nicest snakes out there, but a ball python COULD kill an infant. Can't eat an infant, even a full grown one, but it could possible kill one. We've never lost a snake but least if one is lost, its in the garage, which we secured any access points for it to escape the garage or enter the home should an escape happen. We are covering all the bases to keep the baby safe. Dogs and cats are already trained not to go into the nursery. And I never leave my dogs alone with young children. All my dogs and cats have been around infants, babies and toddlers and either stay away or sit quietly with them. Even with them crawling over the dogs.

I am just so sick of people assuming its impossible to have all these pets and children. I am sick of people who have NEVER been to my home, telling me I should keep it clean or how to clean it or to get rid of my pets to keep it clean. People joke to me and I joke back about being a hoarder, but some people see those shows and think ALL multi-pet homes are trashed and full of feces. I've had animal control here and Fish and Game for inspections (routine for my exotic animal licensing) and both organizations complimented me on how amazing we are doing. The animal control officer walked into the rat shed, took a deep breath and said to me very shocked, "I don't smell rats." This is 2 days AFTER they got cleaned. She also loved the fact my feeder rats and mice have wheels, toys, and fresh fruits and veggie treats. I treat the feeders as pets, and they could easily be sold and kept as pets due to all of them being tame (except the African Soft Furred, which is a wild variety of rat and are totally vicious lol). She also said she had two other inspections of local feeder breeders and they were totally disgusting, and she would hand out my business cards to reptile owners she knows. Fish and Game said I was the cleanest, most organized breeder in the county. And yet I have people who know NOTHING about what we do, who find out what we have and freak out. :( Its really driving me nuts.

I see your point. But I think most people don't really understand. If you can keep your house up to standards that aren't harmful to your child then I don't see what the harm is in having so many animals. I personally could never do it. I'm not that disciplined. So many kudos to you. Just ignore what they say because I'd say probably 90% of the time they are right about people that have multiple pets not having clean and sanitary homes. Pat yourself on the back for being part of the minority momma!

Happy pet raising!

I see your point. But I think most people don't really understand. If you can keep your house up to standards that aren't harmful to your child then I don't see what the harm is in having so many animals. I personally could never do it. I'm not that disciplined. So many kudos to you. Just ignore what they say because I'd say probably 90% of the time they are right about people that have multiple pets not having clean and sanitary homes. Pat yourself on the back for being part of the minority momma!

I totally agree- we have 5 dogs and a cat, and when we tell people that they always seem shocked. Granted, all 5 dogs are small (3 Chihuahuas, 1 Min Pin, and 1 Pug/Chihuahua), but still. If you're dedicated to taking care of them properly, and maintaining your home, it can definitely be done. You'd never know we had that many animals by looking at the house. I feel like you shouldn't take on pets that you can't care for, or so many that you can't keep your house clean, but I know lots of people (unfortunately) do, and give the rest of us a bad name.

I totally agree- we have 5 dogs and a cat, and when we tell people that they always seem shocked. Granted, all 5 dogs are small (3 Chihuahuas, 1 Min Pin, and 1 Pug/Chihuahua), but still. If you're dedicated to taking care of them properly, and maintaining your home, it can definitely be done. You'd never know we had that many animals by looking at the house. I feel like you shouldn't take on pets that you can't care for, or so many that you can't keep your house clean, but I know lots of people (unfortunately) do, and give the rest of us a bad name.

People probably say it because they could never take care of that many animals properly or have seen those shows. Who cares? As long as you know you are doing a great job that's all that matters. Perhaps just say, well the humane society keeps giving me more to take care of so we must be one of the few that do it right!

People probably say it because they could never take care of that many animals properly or have seen those shows. Who cares? As long as you know you are doing a great job that's all that matters. Perhaps just say, well the humane society keeps giving me more to take care of so we must be one of the few that do it right!

I don't agree with the notion that more pets always equals dirty home. We have 4 cats and 2 dogs and our house is generally very clean. It completely depends on the person. I had a friend who only had one dog, and a small one at that, and her apartment was atrocious! Pee smell, dried feces, at one point a huge flea infestation that fleas were literally so bad they were hopping into our food as we ate and hundreds were on the poor dog. Totally depends on how responsible the people are. Sounds like you are doing an amazing job!

I don't agree with the notion that more pets always equals dirty home. We have 4 cats and 2 dogs and our house is generally very clean. It completely depends on the person. I had a friend who only had one dog, and a small one at that, and her apartment was atrocious! Pee smell, dried feces, at one point a huge flea infestation that fleas were literally so bad they were hopping into our food as we ate and hundreds were on the poor dog. Totally depends on how responsible the people are. Sounds like you are doing an amazing job!

You obviously do a great job with your animals. I work in retail in the pet industry so I know how much work it is, and personally would never choose to do it at home because of the amount of work, cleaning, time, etc. is involved. I do have 4 rescue cats, a rescue bunny and one 55g african cichlid tank at home, and that is more than enough work for me with a baby on the way! More power to you! I will say though that I refuse live animals sales to a few select customers because I know they are hoarders. However, being an animal hoarder is very different from what you do so I don't see how you can get accused of that. Obviously you maintain appropriate licensing and everything, since you get visits from agencies (for the record our state doesn't require that so we as a large retail store do not have visits from agencies and you are probably held to a much higher legal standard than we are for animal care).

You obviously do a great job with your animals. I work in retail in the pet industry so I know how much work it is, and personally would never choose to do it at home because of the amount of work, cleaning, time, etc. is involved. I do have 4 rescue cats, a rescue bunny and one 55g african cichlid tank at home, and that is more than enough work for me with a baby on the way! More power to you! I will say though that I refuse live animals sales to a few select customers because I know they are hoarders. However, being an animal hoarder is very different from what you do so I don't see how you can get accused of that. Obviously you maintain appropriate licensing and everything, since you get visits from agencies (for the record our state doesn't require that so we as a large retail store do not have visits from agencies and you are probably held to a much higher legal standard than we are for animal care).

I also get a lot of crap just for owning pythons. A few years ago a Burmese python escaped its cage and killed a toddler. Since then, snake owners who happen to be parents are getting lots of flack both by the state and people in general. Forget the fact that python owner mickey moused the snake's tank cover and didn't properly have it fitted. Pythons are super strong. The bigger the python the stronger it is obviously. Which is why we plan to stick with breeding balls only. We are talking about adding more exotic reptiles to the mix in the future. We'd like to run our own pet store as well as I wish to start an educational program/business that tours schools, libraries, etc with exotics. I want an alligator. But that is in the far future and would be kept as a zoological specimen, not as a house pet. I've worked with big cats, wolves, foxes, lemurs, and many other exotics through a local exotic animal rescue that housed former animal movie stars and confiscated pets. I handled tigers and lions. It kinda upsets me that people I know well, family and friends know ALL this about me. And yet will still tell me, to get rid of the snakes. Or that I am wrong to want to have a gator and children. They know I am educated in exotic animal care, they know I don't take stupid chances for the sake of a picture or a buck. Certainly accidents happen. But they happen because of stupid decisions. Shows like Fatal Attractions on Animal Planet show ever single stupid decision an exotic animal owner has ever made. Entering a cage during feeding...yeah, you don't do that. No matter how nice the animal has been for the past 15 years. You don't starve your animals because you can't afford the meat and there isn't enough roadkill, you contact fellow exotic animal owners or the authorities to help you out or turn your animals over because its not right to keep an animal you can't afford to care for. Literally hundreds of scenarios here. The only animal to ever do me major harm, in need of stitches, was...a deer! Found a doe on the side of the road who was hit and severely injured. I was tying my bandana around her eyes to help calm her and she kicked and her rear hoof sliced open my shoulder. We had her euthanized as her injuries were too severe for rehab. I could write a book on everything I've seen and been through. But still, I get crap for it from people I know. Strangers I usually blow off. But its hard when its people I know :(

Thanks ladies!

I also get a lot of crap just for owning pythons. A few years ago a Burmese python escaped its cage and killed a toddler. Since then, snake owners who happen to be parents are getting lots of flack both by the state and people in general. Forget the fact that python owner mickey moused the snake's tank cover and didn't properly have it fitted. Pythons are super strong. The bigger the python the stronger it is obviously. Which is why we plan to stick with breeding balls only. We are talking about adding more exotic reptiles to the mix in the future. We'd like to run our own pet store as well as I wish to start an educational program/business that tours schools, libraries, etc with exotics. I want an alligator. But that is in the far future and would be kept as a zoological specimen, not as a house pet. I've worked with big cats, wolves, foxes, lemurs, and many other exotics through a local exotic animal rescue that housed former animal movie stars and confiscated pets. I handled tigers and lions. It kinda upsets me that people I know well, family and friends know ALL this about me. And yet will still tell me, to get rid of the snakes. Or that I am wrong to want to have a gator and children. They know I am educated in exotic animal care, they know I don't take stupid chances for the sake of a picture or a buck. Certainly accidents happen. But they happen because of stupid decisions. Shows like Fatal Attractions on Animal Planet show ever single stupid decision an exotic animal owner has ever made. Entering a cage during feeding...yeah, you don't do that. No matter how nice the animal has been for the past 15 years. You don't starve your animals because you can't afford the meat and there isn't enough roadkill, you contact fellow exotic animal owners or the authorities to help you out or turn your animals over because its not right to keep an animal you can't afford to care for. Literally hundreds of scenarios here. The only animal to ever do me major harm, in need of stitches, was...a deer! Found a doe on the side of the road who was hit and severely injured. I was tying my bandana around her eyes to help calm her and she kicked and her rear hoof sliced open my shoulder. We had her euthanized as her injuries were too severe for rehab. I could write a book on everything I've seen and been through. But still, I get crap for it from people I know. Strangers I usually blow off. But its hard when its people I know :(

Wow. I admire your time committment for sure. At one time we had 4 dogs and about 20-30 various herps/exotics (but no kids) and man, was that a lot of work. Both DH and I had fulltime jobs not related to animal husbandry or care though, so that had a lot to do with our eventual plan to phase most of these pets out (they died naturally and we just never replaced them).

Now with 8 month old twins, I am sooooo glad we whittled down our zoo. We are down to the 4 dogs, one beardie, and a guinea pig, and that is MORE than enough with two babies thrown into the mix.

I hear you about the assumptions on cleanliness though. People always assumed our house was like a run-down pet store when they heard about our lot. It is totally possible to keep up with tank maintenance and dog hair and such with a bit of extra effort.

The only thing that we could never do anything about was the smell. In my personal opinion, the herps make things stinky. No matter how well/often you clean them, they still stink.

Wow. I admire your time committment for sure. At one time we had 4 dogs and about 20-30 various herps/exotics (but no kids) and man, was that a lot of work. Both DH and I had fulltime jobs not related to animal husbandry or care though, so that had a lot to do with our eventual plan to phase most of these pets out (they died naturally and we just never replaced them).

Now with 8 month old twins, I am sooooo glad we whittled down our zoo. We are down to the 4 dogs, one beardie, and a guinea pig, and that is MORE than enough with two babies thrown into the mix.

I hear you about the assumptions on cleanliness though. People always assumed our house was like a run-down pet store when they heard about our lot. It is totally possible to keep up with tank maintenance and dog hair and such with a bit of extra effort.

The only thing that we could never do anything about was the smell. In my personal opinion, the herps make things stinky. No matter how well/often you clean them, they still stink.

I'm right there with you! I hate how people always assume that just because we have a lot of animals we must take bad care of them. We have 4 dogs, 5 cats (we had 6 but one of them got a really bad bladder infection and passed away recently) 1 rabbit, 1 bearded dragon, and one beta fish. Believe it or not my family was actually interviewed for that show. But I guess we take too good of care of our animals because we were never contacted again for it. They told us that they were looking for people with large pet families to show the brighter side of it. But when they were talking to my aunt about us they said they were trying to look for conflict in our family cause by the animals. And they were talking yo my husband asking if my mom and I went over board getting animals and if it was causing problems between our family. Needless to say the didn't find any "drama" with us. lol

I'm right there with you! I hate how people always assume that just because we have a lot of animals we must take bad care of them. We have 4 dogs, 5 cats (we had 6 but one of them got a really bad bladder infection and passed away recently) 1 rabbit, 1 bearded dragon, and one beta fish. Believe it or not my family was actually interviewed for that show. But I guess we take too good of care of our animals because we were never contacted again for it. They told us that they were looking for people with large pet families to show the brighter side of it. But when they were talking to my aunt about us they said they were trying to look for conflict in our family cause by the animals. And they were talking yo my husband asking if my mom and I went over board getting animals and if it was causing problems between our family. Needless to say the didn't find any "drama" with us. lol

I know how you feel. We have lots of pets too and I her all the same comments. I spend a lot of time cleaning because pets are messy, but I can assure you my house is very clean. We have 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 birds, bearded dragon, water dragon, 4 tarantulas, two fish tanks, tree frogs, toads, and newts. Is it a lot of work? Yes, but we like it.

That's so cool that you breed ball pythons. I love them, so beautiful. We had one for awhile that required constant force feeding due to being so sick from it's previous owner. Unfortunately it didn't make it, I think from the stress. God I hated force feeding him, he wasn't very nice.

I say as long as the pets, and your home are taken care of have as many as you'd like.

I know how you feel. We have lots of pets too and I her all the same comments. I spend a lot of time cleaning because pets are messy, but I can assure you my house is very clean. We have 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 birds, bearded dragon, water dragon, 4 tarantulas, two fish tanks, tree frogs, toads, and newts. Is it a lot of work? Yes, but we like it.

That's so cool that you breed ball pythons. I love them, so beautiful. We had one for awhile that required constant force feeding due to being so sick from it's previous owner. Unfortunately it didn't make it, I think from the stress. God I hated force feeding him, he wasn't very nice.

I say as long as the pets, and your home are taken care of have as many as you'd like.

Some people are fantastic at keeping their houses clean even with pets. And then there are those that can't keep their houses clean over the weekend with 3 cats, one dog, and twin boys! I'm a nanny, and I sweep and mop the whole house 3 times a week, which is NOT my job because its the pet hair, clean counters and wash dishes every morning from dinner the night before so its dry and hard since apparently they don't know what "rinse" means, and do everyone's laundry, not just the kids! They would probably drown in pet hair and dirty dishes if it weren't for me. People that can't care for their pets give a bad name to the people that can!

Some people are fantastic at keeping their houses clean even with pets. And then there are those that can't keep their houses clean over the weekend with 3 cats, one dog, and twin boys! I'm a nanny, and I sweep and mop the whole house 3 times a week, which is NOT my job because its the pet hair, clean counters and wash dishes every morning from dinner the night before so its dry and hard since apparently they don't know what "rinse" means, and do everyone's laundry, not just the kids! They would probably drown in pet hair and dirty dishes if it weren't for me. People that can't care for their pets give a bad name to the people that can!

I am hear the same complaints from my family as well. We have 3 cats, 2 water dragons, a bearded dragon, a ball python and a fish tank. I get tired of the "you can't keep a snake with a baby". This coming from family members who when they get tired of an animal dump it off at the pound. That really chaps my a$$... Pets are a lifetime commitment, either theirs or yours. I have volunteered with the Humane Society and various rescue groups for over 20 yrs. I foster animals as well.

My saving grace is my mother and brother are so terrified of snakes, I will never have to worry about them setting foot in my house. Sure does make things easier for me! My ball python is just a baby himself being barely 3 ft long. But, I have taken all precautions for his cage and know that he cannot escape unless someone doesn't secure it properly after taking him out.

All of my reptiles are hand raised and have never shown any signs of aggression. Doesn't mean that it couldn't happen but I would never leave the baby unattended with any animal, be it a cat, dog or reptile. Accidents can happen, but hopefully, with our precautions in place we won't ever an issue.

I am hear the same complaints from my family as well. We have 3 cats, 2 water dragons, a bearded dragon, a ball python and a fish tank. I get tired of the "you can't keep a snake with a baby". This coming from family members who when they get tired of an animal dump it off at the pound. That really chaps my a$$... Pets are a lifetime commitment, either theirs or yours. I have volunteered with the Humane Society and various rescue groups for over 20 yrs. I foster animals as well.

My saving grace is my mother and brother are so terrified of snakes, I will never have to worry about them setting foot in my house. Sure does make things easier for me! My ball python is just a baby himself being barely 3 ft long. But, I have taken all precautions for his cage and know that he cannot escape unless someone doesn't secure it properly after taking him out.

All of my reptiles are hand raised and have never shown any signs of aggression. Doesn't mean that it couldn't happen but I would never leave the baby unattended with any animal, be it a cat, dog or reptile. Accidents can happen, but hopefully, with our precautions in place we won't ever an issue.

I see the same issue. Cousins of mine have one dog and treat it like a robot. They never pet it or play with it. It is expected to act according to their strict rules all the time. I teach my dogs to certainly be good with company but yeah they are on the couch and bed and cuddle with us. And other family members have disposable pets too. So it's nothing to them to dump them and they don't understand why I won't. I don't believe in dumping pets just because you are having a baby. The only time I can understand it is if the pet is literally a child hater and it's dangerous, for instance with child aggressive dogs. It's perfectly acceptable IMO to keep reptiles, parrots etc. They should be in secure cages.

I see the same issue. Cousins of mine have one dog and treat it like a robot. They never pet it or play with it. It is expected to act according to their strict rules all the time. I teach my dogs to certainly be good with company but yeah they are on the couch and bed and cuddle with us. And other family members have disposable pets too. So it's nothing to them to dump them and they don't understand why I won't. I don't believe in dumping pets just because you are having a baby. The only time I can understand it is if the pet is literally a child hater and it's dangerous, for instance with child aggressive dogs. It's perfectly acceptable IMO to keep reptiles, parrots etc. They should be in secure cages.

For me rats, mice, and kids don't mix. For historically reasons as well as basic health and safety. I think it's great you change and clean cages so frequently. Not all pet owners do.My in laws have 9 dogs, 3 cats, and 2 birds in a 900sq ft home. They clean twice a week. It is still effing gross. I clean twice a week and I don't have fourteen pets. Nine dogs are a pack- and I am scared to bring my kids there.You are the mom and you sound like you are doing an awesome job managing. It doesn't seem appealing to me though.I worked at best friends animal sanctuary in kanab Utah for four years. I have cared for 900 cats as part of my daily job. Things like this can be done well. My point is for me it didn't work with infants/babies.

For me rats, mice, and kids don't mix. For historically reasons as well as basic health and safety. I think it's great you change and clean cages so frequently. Not all pet owners do.My in laws have 9 dogs, 3 cats, and 2 birds in a 900sq ft home. They clean twice a week. It is still effing gross. I clean twice a week and I don't have fourteen pets. Nine dogs are a pack- and I am scared to bring my kids there.You are the mom and you sound like you are doing an awesome job managing. It doesn't seem appealing to me though.I worked at best friends animal sanctuary in kanab Utah for four years. I have cared for 900 cats as part of my daily job. Things like this can be done well. My point is for me it didn't work with infants/babies.

Historically fleas caused the plague. Domestic mice and rats carry no more diseases and germs than a dog. Rats are by far the BEST small mammal pet for kids. They rarely ever bite. I've seen children squeeze a rat and all it did was squeal and pee on the child. Technically you should wash your hands after handling any animal. I've owned rats for 10 years now. Let my daughter hold them as young as two and neither of us have ever gotten sick. Rats are constantly cleaning themselves. If kept in clean conditions they are very unlikely to cause any illness.

Historically fleas caused the plague. Domestic mice and rats carry no more diseases and germs than a dog. Rats are by far the BEST small mammal pet for kids. They rarely ever bite. I've seen children squeeze a rat and all it did was squeal and pee on the child. Technically you should wash your hands after handling any animal. I've owned rats for 10 years now. Let my daughter hold them as young as two and neither of us have ever gotten sick. Rats are constantly cleaning themselves. If kept in clean conditions they are very unlikely to cause any illness.

I don't cohabitate with wild animals. My wild animals are kept in secure containers in the garage. Sure I love on them, but they are less a pet and more like wildlife specimens. They are not placed into situations where they could cause harm. Not constantly on display for people to tap in glass or mishandle them. My own children included. My 12 year old helps care for them, with our constant supervision as we make it a family chore. The only pet she doesn't handle is the....bunny. He has gotten pretty vicious in his old age. My DH said he's done with it now too. Lol. So it's up to me to get him out

I don't cohabitate with wild animals. My wild animals are kept in secure containers in the garage. Sure I love on them, but they are less a pet and more like wildlife specimens. They are not placed into situations where they could cause harm. Not constantly on display for people to tap in glass or mishandle them. My own children included. My 12 year old helps care for them, with our constant supervision as we make it a family chore. The only pet she doesn't handle is the....bunny. He has gotten pretty vicious in his old age. My DH said he's done with it now too. Lol. So it's up to me to get him out

I have a friend with a lot of pets. She keeps her house very clean. The issue is that her house smells like all of her animals. I have a really sensitive nose, but it's something that others notice, and she has no idea. It's like smokers who have no idea their clothes/hair/car reeks. So, while her house is kept very clean, the smell is a huge turn off. We no longer go to her house. I'm not much of a pet person, though. I have a cat and once he goes, I won't ever have another pet again besides maybe a goldfish. I also tend to think my cat is dirty. He craps in a box, walks all around in there, then walks around the same floors my son crawls around. We change and scoop his box regularly, and I sweep and Swiffer multiple times a week, but unless I'm doing it every time he steps in his box, I can't keep up.

I have a friend with a lot of pets. She keeps her house very clean. The issue is that her house smells like all of her animals. I have a really sensitive nose, but it's something that others notice, and she has no idea. It's like smokers who have no idea their clothes/hair/car reeks. So, while her house is kept very clean, the smell is a huge turn off. We no longer go to her house. I'm not much of a pet person, though. I have a cat and once he goes, I won't ever have another pet again besides maybe a goldfish. I also tend to think my cat is dirty. He craps in a box, walks all around in there, then walks around the same floors my son crawls around. We change and scoop his box regularly, and I sweep and Swiffer multiple times a week, but unless I'm doing it every time he steps in his box, I can't keep up.

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